Sanity Not Included
by InsomniacFlaaffy
Summary: He is Subject 23, a chimera. Years of testing and abuse, the boy escapes the place that created him. Everyone assumes that this boy is Russel's son, though things don't add up correctly. Tension rises as the band begins to realize they're being watched and followed. They will soon learn that nothing leaves the Facility...
1. Arrival

Loneliness is a horrible feeling that plagues the human race, it affected children worse than adults and Noodle was suffering from a bad case of the 'lonelies' today. It was early afternoon in late April, clear skies and warm weather gave good fortune to the people who went to enjoy the fair forecast but not Noodle. No, she was trapped inside this god forsaken mansion with nothing to do. She couldn't go outside without one the boys watching her however; they were too busy to pay any attention to her. 'Busy', 'busy', 'busy'; it was all she heard instead of any other words come from the men's mouths these days. To express her growing anger towards them, Noodle began a vow of silence and ignored for a day and a half. This had the guitarist steaming with rage and she hid herself in the lobby, furiously mashing the buttons on her Gameboy on the couch with her feet propped on the coffee table. She was depressed, only wanted a friend to play with and the boys couldn't even let her have that.

The monotone ring of the doorbell echoed across the still, stale air of the lobby and Noodle unglued her eyes from her video game to the dusty, glass double doors. There was a young man wearing a plain, brown uniform holding a clipboard to his side standing outside, waiting patiently for Noodle to answer. Noodle remembered Russel informing her to never open the door to strangers but she noticed a 10 foot crate behind the man that closely resembles the crate she had arrived in at Kong. It seemed important, so what harm could come from it? Tossing her Gameboy on the couch; Noodle hopped up and strolled over to the glass doors; she cautiously opened the door for the skinny uniformed man and watched him push the crate into the lobby.

"Alrighty, little girl," The man knelt to Noodle's eye level, glancing over his clipboard once then twice before continuing his sentence. "All the paperwork is in order and already signed off. Can you tell your parents their package has come?" Noodle tilted her head as she slowly picked apart the man's command, understanding a few words like 'parents' and 'package'. She nodded her head in response. The man gave the child a firm pat on the head before giving a warm goodbye and walking briskly down the concrete steps. As the delivery man traveled out of Noodle's line of sight, her facial expression hardened into a deep scowl and she began kicking the box in hopes of breaking the contents inside.

With one more good kick, the box flipped over on its side, the sound of the box hitting the floor and the wood splitting startled Noodle a bit. Something had moved within the crate and Noodle kept her distance as the top of the crate fell open. A small boy tumbled out the box, no younger than Noodle, wearing only a pair of black spandex shorts. His hair was spiky and long enough to touch the floor, a messy coal black bird's nest of hair. He yawned, scratching at the track marks on his arms and his back with the tip of his brown monkey tail, not noticing Noodle nearby. His ribs were poking through his dark brown skin from malnutrition plus ugly blueish-black bruises covering most of his body and a yellow plastic cattle tag attached to his left ear lobe with the number 23 written on it in faded black ink, someone had abused him before ending up in that crate.

"Um…hallo?" Noodle greeted the boy sheepish, waving her hand to catch the boy's attention.

The boy grinned, baring his tiny fanged teeth and wiggling his tail. "Hiiii…" He said; his voice sounded slightly like a young male human synthesizer; awkwardly waving back by bending his fingers and his milky white eyes narrowed with contentment. Without warning, the boy began to circle Noodle while walking on his hands and feet, peculiarly sniffing the guitarist's skin. He was strange boy but then again, 'normal' wasn't a word typically used in the Gorillaz vocabulary so fitting in wouldn't be a problem for him. She wondered if the boy had a name though.

"Noods, you okay?" The voice of 2D called from the basement stairwell, his hollow footsteps became louder as he drew closer to the door. "I thought I heard something break." The noise of a different person's voice frightened the boy causing him to flee back into the confines of the FedEx crate, observing the young man emerging from the depths of the basement. His skin was pale like a porcelain statue, spiky hair more blue than the ocean floor and onyx eyes that seemed like never-ending black holes. 2D walked over to Noodle and was immediately barraged by fast paced Japanese; Noodle could hardly contain her excitement.

2D covered Noodle's mouth. "Slow down, Noodle. I can't understand what you're saying." Grabbing the singer by the arm, Noodle dragged 2D over to the open crate and made him bend over so the tall man could peer inside the dark box.

"Zero," Noodle called into the box, giving the boy a name that reflected how she knew nothing about him. "Toochi friend, no scared." She tried to use the cheeriest tone to coax the boy out of hiding and with success; 'Zero' gradually crawled out as he kept his eyes glued to the singer. In worry, he clutched a white stuffed cat closely to him; the cat was worn and grimy yet it a happy smile on its face even though one of its black button eyes was missing. Zero's tail waved to and fro, the sight of it amused Noodle but shocked 2D a bit. Kneeling to Zero's eye level, Stu glanced over to the damaged FedEx crate then back to bizarre child. A thought began to form in 2D vacant mind, causing the little hamster in his brain to wake from its slumber and start running on its wheel again. Then it hit him like one of Murdoc's many punches.

He looks just like Russel.


	2. Skinwalker

2D pondered for a while on the thought of Russel being a father, it wasn't like him to have one-night stands. But, then again, where there any other logical reason of why the boy looked similar to the drummer. Outside of his head, the singer wore a blank expression on his face as he continued to gaze forward into nothingness. The hallow stare made the boy fell uncomfortable and he clutched his stuffed cat closer.

Noodle waved her hand back and forth in froth of the young man's face, calling his name several times but it was all in vain. The poor singer was a lost cause when he started thinking over complicated matters; his mind hamster seemed to have called it quits already.

The girl abandoned 2D and grabbed Zero by his free hand, "Want Noodles?" she asked.

"Nu…dells?" Zero repeated, confused.

Noodle nodded, "Hai, food!"

Zero's white eyes widen. "Me been good boy? Me get food?" He paused then pulled up his lips in the biggest grin. "FoodFood Food Food Food Food Food Food Food Food!" He chanted with excitement, jumping up and down. Noodle walked over to the elevator with Zero in tow and pushed the up button to call the lift. The metal doors creaked open and the boy froze in place, staring at the open elevator with his tail between his legs. He didn't understand how the lift came to be. Was it some magic portal to another world? Or was it another metal monster ready to feed on his flesh. Noodle almost had to drag Zero into the elevator; the whole ride up, the boy pressed himself against the back wall so hard that Noodle thought he was going to faze through it.

The smell of ham, beef noodles, and eggs made Zero's mouth water. He had never smelt something like thing before in his life. He watched Noodle hard at work with their meal from on top of the refrigerator, swinging his limbs as he waited. Noodle removed the pot off the stove and carefully poured the pasta into two large bowls. She cracked egg shells on the bowl rim and dropped the gooey contents on top of the steamy noodles. Like magic, the clear goop solidified and turned white. Noodle threw in different kinds of spices and a few more pieces of ham to the stew, smiling at her masterpiece. She served the hot meal and took a seat in front of a bowl, motioning Zero to also take a seat. His tail twitched and Zero leapt down from his post and landed softly on the stool. The soup looked so good and Noodle worked so hard to make it for him, Zero didn't deserve nice things. He never deserve anything, he remember them saying.

"Me no good, me no good…" Zero muttered, pushing his bowl away from him. "Good boys get food, me no good." He rested his head on the table and his stomach roared in hunger. Zero wanted to cry but he couldn't, he had already cried for years now. He had no more tears left… Zero hugged his stuffed cat tight; she was such a good friend.

Noodle stopped her chewing and let her chopsticks settle in her ramen. "No, you wrong!" She said with bits of her food flying out. "You good now eat! Make you feel better, trust Noodle!" She bumped Zero's bowl against his head repeatedly.

He lifted his head and looked up at Noodle. "Nudell think me a good boy but me been told me no good." Zero used his finger to pick at his meal, ignoring the scalding hot temperature of the food and took small bites. Then he stopped, "Me trust Nudell, yes?" The boy asked. "Hear story, listen good?"

"Hai!" The girl responded with a big smile.

That smile; it comforted him somewhat. But where should he start at? His mind could hold a fair amount of information, like names and simple commands. It was hard for him to remember everything but bits and pieces of the year before still remained. Slowly, it fitted together like an old puzzle

White Coats; a term he coined the people that 'cared' for him because of the white jackets they wore. They would stab him with pointy things filled with strange liquids; he grew sicker with each different liquid they put in him. They denied him food for long periods of time, especially when he didn't follow orders or complete a test in time. He was locked away inside a metal chamber and slept on the cold floor, haunted by nightmares and voices of the fallen souls within the Facility. There was one person that made some of the pain go away, a woman, but Zero couldn't quite remember what she looked like. He always referred to the woman as 'Momma' as she was the nicest out of all the White Coats. He pushed his bowl away, still filled with food, and began twisting his tail nervously. They told that he was a failure and he believed them; how could anyone love a failure? It was his own fault he was tortured for so long, his fault that no one loved him. Rage coursed through his veins; he fucking hated his useless self! He could have stopped it all, killed all those stupid White Coats, but he was too scared to. He was a failure. Zero grabbed his bowl and chucked it across the room, the ceramic bowl shattered as it connected with the opposite wall, it contents slid down the wall.

His chest heaved with every angry breath he took, his eyes twitched and his tail lashed about. Zero then began sobbing loudly without tears; Noodle sat in silence nearby.

"What the fuck is making all that damn wailing?" A shirtless Murdoc stood in the kitchen doorway, glaring at the two children. "And who the hell is this kid?" He said, motioning to Zero.

A shiver ran up Zero's spine at the site of the older man. He could feel the darkness radiate off the man's tan skin. "Evil Man!" Zero screeched, took Noodle's bowl of food and raised it over his head. He shook from head to tail in fear; the evil man was going to take him back to the White Coats. He wouldn't let him do that, not now, not ever. "Go away, Evil Man!" He threw the bowl at Murdoc before Noodle could stop him. Murdoc grasped the brass doorknob of the open door and nonchalantly closed the door, the bowl smashed in pieces against the wood.

"You've got 5 seconds to-," The older man said as he reopened the door but shut the hell up when a wooden stool came flying right at him. Murdoc ducked and the stool brushed the top of his head then bounced on the floor a few feet behind him. He stood, fuming. "Stop fucking throwing-," Murdoc began saying yet was cut off once again by a barrage of kitchenware. Knives, pots, pans, and chairs; how much shit was in that kitchen? The bangs and clangs ceased after several minutes of assault, Murdoc poked his head through the doorway.

The boy was on top of the refrigerator again, hissing at Noodle who stood at the bottom. "Come down, Zero. Please? Mur'oc good…" Noodle's statement trailed of when she remembered the bassist did push the singer down a flight of stairs just yesterday. 'Good' was stretching it a bit far.

His back ached, his tail stood erected and bristled. Zero bared his teeth. "Nudell lie! Part of White Coats! No friend! Lie lie lie!" He threw his stuffed cat at Noodle which she avoided by moving out the way. Zero shook his body back and forth like a wet dog, his body blurred then his skin folded away to now show a shirtless Stuart in Zero's place. "Nudell is a liar liar liar." Said the simian tailed Stu in broken English. It didn't appear that Zero noticed that he had changed into a different person. "Part of the White Coats…" He said in a daze.

Murdoc had seen enough to know what this kid was. He briskly walked in the kitchen, picked up Noodle, and left as briskly as he entered. The two hid behind the wall, out of sight, and Murdoc grabbed Noodle by her jacket. He shook her a bit. "What the hell are you doing near a fucking Skinwalker?" Was it clean that Murdoc was upset with her?

"Not Skin-waker, it Zero!" Noodle retorted, struggling in the man's grasp.

"Does anyone wanna tell me why most of the kitchen is out in the hall?" Russel asked, as if appearing out of nowhere. Murdoc jumped, letting go of the girl. The man weighted over four hundred pounds, how the hell was he so quiet?

"Dammit Twinkletoes, stop sneaking around like that! Nevermind, we've got a problem." Murdoc said with disgust. "There's a Skinwalker in the kitchen and Noodle here was getting all buddy-buddy with it."

"Not Skin-waker, it Zero!" She repeated.

"Little girl," He growled through his tightly clinched teeth, fed up with her voice as of now. "I think I know about demons more than you."

"Nuh-uh!" Noodle said in a mocking tone. She stuck her tongue out and blew a razzberry at the bassist.

"I would've fed you to the zombies if you didn't play guitar…"

The large man sidestepped around the two to enter the kitchen; they would be at it for hours and he really had no time for that. Time to see this 'Skinwalker' Murdoc was talking about.

The 'demon' in question sat in the middle of the floor, unaware of Russel's presence. It almost looked exactly like 2D, only with minor differences that made it obvious it wasn't the real 2D. Its skin was pastier, its limbs were more elongated, its hair faded from blue to black and its hair line trailed down its spine to the base of its tail. It spoke to a one-eyed stuffed cat in a strange language and hugged the ragged toy tight against its bare chest. But then the creature picked its head up and stared at Russel quietly. It didn't screech, it didn't throw things, it didn't say anything; it just sat there and stared.

It spoke up after a few minutes passed in the singer's voice. "You…you. Momma talked about you. You know Momma, don't you, Big Man?"

"Uh," He hesitated. He could say no and possible have his face ripped off or lie and spare his face. Did he have any other choice? Russel scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously. "Yeah, sure. You can say that."

Fake!2D smiled, "Good, good…" The creature's body turned black and reverted back to its original form; a little boy. "Me stay here, be safe, wait for Momma…"

"WHAT!?" Murdoc shouted, storming into the room with the two. "I am not running a charity case for-," Murdoc paused to look at Zero, then at Russel, then back at Zero. "-your freaky demon kid! Isn't one kid running around here enough?"

Russel responded flatly, "He ain't my kid."

"Of course he is! You people kinda look the same anyway." Murdoc said with a smug look on his face. Zero stood up and walked over to Murdoc. With a tightly clenched fist, the boy punched the older man right in his groin.

**A/N: Murdoc refers to Zero as a Skinwalker due to his ability to change into other people, kinda like the alien in **_**The Thing**_


	3. Keter

The sight of hot water that magically gushed out the faucet and filled the ivory colored tub amazed the boy as he watched from the safety of the bathroom counter. During the time Russel was filling the tub, Zero has his head tilted to the side. Was this some big cup he was supposed to drink out of? Or was it for a test to see how long he could hold his breath? Zero didn't want any part of another test. Somehow, Zero managed to squeeze himself in one of the several sinks in attempt to hide from whatever was in store. His tail waved about at the sight of Noodle as she walked through the doorway.

She pulled a red wagon behind her filled with various toiletries and colorful towels. Russel noticed and tightened the hot water tap and ceased the water flow. He already had the things he needed to bathe the boy so what Noodle brought was a tad unnecessary.

"Thanks Noodle," He said, "But I already have enough things to wash Zero."

Noodle shook her head. "No, Noodle gives Zero baf. You go." She rolled the wagon up next to the tub and motioned the drummer to exit the room.

"Noodle," Russel's father-like tone came up as he folded his arms. "You know I can't let you do that. Zero is a boy and you're a girl."

This resulted in a shrug from the girl. "And? We all human. Why be ashamed about our bodies? Why hide things Noodle knows about?" As many times as she seen Murdoc and 2D's genitals on different occasions over the past 3 or 4 years, all this boy/girl stuff seemed silly to her. She was not a dumb child like the three men believed her to be.

Russel ignored Noodle as of now and fetched Zero from his hiding place sink; Zero nearly pulled the sink off the wall as he held on to it for dear life. After a few minutes of Tug-O-War, Russel sat Zero down next to the bathtub. He then reached for the boy's waistline and began to remove his shorts.

"Man," Del whispered from the depths of his mind. "I don't think you wanna do that…"

Before Russel could process what his dead friend spoke of, Zero's teeth clamped down tight on his left hand. "Bad touch, bad touch!" He said through the thick piece of hand in his mouth.

"Swiss Fucking Cheese!" Russel shouted, "Let go let go let go let go right now!" He flailed his arm around and tugged on the base of Zero's tail. With enough pulling, Russel ripped Zero and threw him down on the tile floor. A section of skin from his palm and the back of his hand was missing; red beads of blood formed over the wounds' surface almost immediately.

Zero bared his jagged teeth at Russel with pieces of the man's flesh wedged in between and fled into one of the toilet stalls. He poked his head over the stall wall, snorted in Russel's direction, and then disappeared behind the black wall again.

"Hey Russ," 2D appeared at the door, focused on the brown rucksack and a thick catalog folder in each of his hands. "This folder's got your name on it…" His statement trailed off into confusion as his attention sharpened on his housemates. "Do I need to leave?" He said.

Russel took a towel off Noodle's wagon and wrapped it around his bleeding hand, "No, I was just leaving so Noodle can help bathe Zero."

"What happened to your hand, Russ?"

"I got in a fight with a pack of wild pocketknives, 'D."

2D's eyes widen in disbelief, "Really?"

Russel sighed and replied with sarcasm, "Yeah 'D, I forgot to put on my pocketknife repellent this morning. Silly me, right?"

"Wild pocketknives…" The younger man muttered to himself. "I'm going to need to buy some traps…" Certainly, 2D was a fucking genius.

"Who approaches?" Murdoc's voice boomed from the dark deeps of his Winnebago and echoed throughout the carpark.

"Muds, open up." You're not the Wizard of Oz. 'D and I got something important to show you." Russel said.

"Fine, fine." The bassist replied with a groan and the two men outside heard his weight shift from the back of the metal deathtrap to the front. The Winne's loose door swung outwards by itself and Russel and 2D climbed up into their leader's unholy domain. "Post haste, fellas. You're letting all the cold air in." Said Murdoc, who sat in the driver's seat and swiveled it a bit towards the passenger's seat. He rested his legs on the dashboard and waited for the other to take their seats. Russel sat down in the passenger's seat while 2D passed by the two to sit down behind the Winne's dining table.

Murdoc snatched the backpack out 2D's hands as he passed by and rummaged through it, "What kinda goods you got here, dullard? You know sharing is caring." His green face upturned in puzzlement as he pulled out an aged golden hand harp. Several strings on the instrument were frayed; the harp's gold skeleton bared a few dents here and there. There were a few pictures books also included inside the backpack. "What kind of goods are these?"

"It's not mine, Murdoc," 2D said as he took his seat. "I found it in the box Zero came in."

Murdoc looked in Russel's general direction, "Of course, your kid would play the second gayest instrument in the world. Runner up to the keyboards."

Russel groaned, "Muds, I told you before. He's not my kid. I wasn't with anyone 8 years ago."

"Yeah, who would want to bang your fatass?"

"…I'm going to ignore that hurtful comment and figure out what's in this folder." The catalog folder 2D mentioned previously did, in fact, have his name written on it in black ink. The larger loops in the letters and cursive handwriting suggested that the writer, and who mostly sent Zero here, was female. Russel opened the folder and shook out another folder within the other; a white envelope fluttered down to the Winne's shag red carpet.

"Mine!" Murdoc snagged the envelope with his free hand and sat the glass bottle on the dashboard. With his long index fingernail, he slashed through the envelope's glue seal and took out a tattered letter. The bassist didn't hesitate to read the letter aloud to the others.

_Dear Mister Hobbs,_

_ You do not know me but I certainly know who you are. We've studied your case for some time now, since your childhood to the present. My name is Doctor Lilith McDonald, an agent of the SCP Facility of New York State but that information is irrelevant to this message as you read it now. This is about the young boy I sent into your care, Subject Number 23. Enclosed in this folder is SCP recorded documents of Number 23 but most of the information is false. I was Number 23's caretaker, I know the boy very well. The Facility calls the boy a monster but he is just a lonely child who needs love. Sadly, I cannot give it to him inside here but I know you and your friends can! The only thing I wanted when they created him was his happiness, but the doctors here only want to abuse him. Please Mister Hobbs, I have no one else to trust in these walls. Soon they will realize that I released Number 23 and kill me because of it. Do not tell 23 of my ill fate, the boy's mind is…fragile. These are the only things I ask of you._

As he finished, Murdoc's lips cracked a smile then he let out a throaty laugh, "Your fucking kid is a test tube baby! What a joke! No wonder he has a fucking tail!"

Russel grimaced at the bassist's laughter and stood to his feet. He snatched the letter out Murdoc's hand and stomped out the Winne, glared at Murdoc then slammed the door behind him.

_Subject Number 23: The Chimera_

_Class: Keter _

"Okay open!" She said. As ordered, Zero slowly opened his eyes and stared back at his own reflection in disbelief.

_Description: Subject #23 appears to be a male African American child between the ages of 8 to 10 years. It features white eyes, long black hair, a simian-like tail, and both male and female genitalia. Is refer to as 'it' by all except for Dr. McDonald, who refer to the Subject with male pronouns._

All the grime that collected in patches on his body over the years past was gone; his skin tone was lighter and he smelt like flowers. His hair had gained a new healthy sheen to it and was braided back and tied at the end with a red ribbon. Those hideous old shorts were gone and he now wore a pretty, white sundress decorated with red polka dots. That ugly cattle tag which had been attached to his left ear all his life no longer there. Zero turned to observe his backside in the mirror; the back of the dress was tied into a bow. His tail swished freely from the dress' bottom. It was like he was a brand new person, he felt different too.

"Me a pretty boy…" Zero whispered as he turned back around to face the mirror again. "Me so pretty." He raised his neatly trimmed fingers up and pressed then against the cold glass, right on his reflection's cheek. Zero lowered his hand and turned his head to Noodle, "Why Nudell care about me? Me a stranger to Nudell."

"Because," Noodle said and held Zero's hands in hers. A surge of electricity shot through Zero's body as their hands touched; the sensation caused his tail to stand on end. "Everyone need chance to be happy, chance to live. Murdoc, Towchi, and Russel gave Noodle that. Now, Noodle make you happy! Gave you name. Zero no number, Zero a person!"

"Me…person?" Noodle could see heavy tears began to swell up at the bottom of the boy's eyes and flowed down his cheeks. Noodle frowned; she didn't mean to upset Zero in any way.

Zero leapt into Noodle's arms and wrapped his legs around her small waist. He buried his wet face in her shoulder and blabbed through sniffles, "Zero loves Nudell, Zero loves Nudell. Zero free." Noodle collapsed under Zero's weight and landed on her bum, Zero never loosen his grip when she hit the floor. She rubbed his back in a soothing manner and listened to him sob with happiness. "Zero loves Nudell, Zero loves Nudell."

_#23 was created at [REDACTED] by a team of scientists under the order of Dr. Steven Kane from the bone marrow of [REDACTED], various other mammals, and several SCPs on site. #23 has demonstrated the ability to transform into different people and creatures with slight defects. It shows to have minor control over this ability and his emotions usually affect who or what it turns to at that moment. #23 has been shown to have low intelligence but strength and dexterity four (4) times more than the average human. #23 has displayed to be sensitive to supernatural beings and other Subjects in the facility. It has claimed to hear the whispers of the spirits in a realm beyond our own. _

_Through the events of Incident 23-28, Subject #23 has been change from Euclid to Keter._

"What's your next move, Russ?" Del's voice wrapped around his mind as Russel closed the folder and slid down the wall to the floor next to Noodle's room; he heard the boy repeating the same line again. There was so much on this 'kid' and he barely scratched the surface for the thick documents. Noodle cared for the boy dearly and the Doctor wrote that Zero was harmless, but all these notes claimed that he was dangerous. Russel was stuck between two places; whether to keep an abused child or banish a monster for everyone's safety. What could he do now? Observe this boy? Kick him out into the landfill? He needed to think more on this matter.


	4. Drugged

Chapter Four: Drugged

The sun set over the trash covered hills and gradually transformed the blue sky into a deep salmon pink; kind of the same color of the meat. Noodle and Zero sat back in lawn chairs on Kong's balcony while they quietly watched the sun lower itself in the twilight sky. Zero had never seen such a sight in his young life. That's what happens when your life is spend inside a metal box within a secluded building. Minor things such as merely watching the sun set was a luxury to the boy. He would keep this precious memory forever and no one could take it away from him. No more White Coats, no more testing, no more loneliness; Zero was safe from it all. Tears of happiness welled up at the corners of his eyes. He expected so many times to wake up on the cold metal floor but it never came, he was really here. Zero sniffled and wiped his tears away with the back of his hands, he couldn't let Noodle see him crying again. Crying so much was a sign of weakness and failure, Noodle would believe he was weak if she saw him.

"I'm going to drug the thing to sleep so it doesn't murder us tonight." Murdoc said as he eyeballed the children from the sliding glass doors with a smug look on his face. His foot tapped rhythmically against the tile floor and his eyes focused on Zero. The kid didn't smell right; the harsh scent of disinfectant clung to its skin even though the stench of the landfill should have masked it by now. No one seemed to notice but the smell stung his nostrils, he loathed it. He wanted the smell out of his home. "Faceache, gimme your pills." What did Noodle see in that thing, that feral animal? Well, it wouldn't matter if he could get his hands on those damn painkillers. But 2D was distracted as he attempted to balance spoons on his face to her Murdoc. If he could fit one more on the tip of his nose, it would be another personal record broken…

"2D!"

2D flinched at the sudden loudness of Murdoc's voice and all the spoons stuck to his face fell of the table with a clatter. He was so close and yet so far, like always. A sigh whistled through his gapped teeth and he rested his head on the table. "What is it, Murdoc? I was so close to beating my record."

"Yeah, whatever. Now gimme your pills." demanded Murdoc with an outstretched hand.

2D lifted his head and raised an eyebrow, "What for…?" Slowly, he pulled the orange bottle nearby closer to him. The young man glanced over Murdoc with shifty eyes.

"Well, if you were listening to me before, maybe you would know." Said an annoyed Murdoc. "But keeping shit from you now won't get me what I want. I want to drug," Murdoc looked over his shoulder at Zero, wrinkled his nose, and turned back to 2D. "The thing so it isn't a hassle to us tonight."

"You mean Zero? Drugging a child to sleep is inhuman, Murdoc! You can't do that!" retorted 2D.

The older man shrugged, "Why not? My dad did it to me all the time and I turned out fine." The statement made 2D scowl in disapproval. "And besides, the thing's not even human to begin with." He snatched the bottle out 2D's hand, twisted the white cap off, and dumped three green and white capsules into his palm.

From the drying rack next to the sinks, Murdoc picked up and placed two clean glasses on the marble counter. He tore through the pill casings and poured the white powder in a single glass. A short stroll to the refrigerator produced a liter of store brand cola in the older man's hand and he closed the door behind him. 2D stood up from the stool and went to Murdoc, observing him pour the soft drink in each glass. The powder was noticeable in the soda until Murdoc stirred the laced drink with his finger. He then handed the glass to 2D.

2D looked at the normal glass Murdoc was holding. Curious, he asked, "What's the second glass for?"

"For Noodle, so she doesn't suspect a thing from us." Murdoc said and gave 2D a stern look. "Now remember to give the kid your drink. I don't want you fucking this up."

"Yes Murdoc." 2D obediently answered.

The sound of the sliding glass door opening then closing behind them ender their conversation. Zero was by 2D's side faster than anyone's eyes process and held the tall man's free hand, swinging his arm back and forth.

Zero beamed up at 2D with a smile on his face and bounced on his tail in excitement. "2D, 2D! Nudell say you sing. You in band and make good music. Zero wanna hear 2D sing! Please, please?"

"Um…sure?" said 2D rather uncertain as he received a throaty grunt from Murdoc, who grew impatient with their idle chit-chat. He already gave the drink he had to Noodle and she drank down the soda content. Not he waited for 2D to do the same with Zero. Murdoc's eyes bore into 2D as the young man stalled, could he really drug a child? His morals began to battle with his fears, he didn't want to get beaten to unconsciousness. The decision would keep him up at night. 2D managed to pull away from Zero's hands, resulting in the boy ceasing his hopping, and put the carbonated drink in his hands. Zero stood there in silence, staring at the glass. He looked up at 2D and Noodle then back at the soda, confused and sniffed it. The tip of his tongue dipped into the fizzy drink and he quickly retracted it back in his mouth. It wasn't dirty water, the liquid was sugary and it stung his tongue a little. He didn't like it, but he didn't hate it either.

"What is this?" said Zero as his continued to stare at the cola.

Murdoc was the first to respond. "It's a good boy drink. You've been a good boy, haven't you?" A smile stretched across his face when he saw the boy's face light up once again. It took the bait like a dumb fish. Maybe the kid didn't have to leave if he had it wrapped around his finger to do his bidding. Murdoc could certainly have fun controlling two idiots.

Zero nodded, "Me been a good boy! Good boys get good things!" then chugged the soda down without another word. Finished, Zero put the glass in the sink and burped. The drink was more bitter than Zero remembered it to be, or was it before? His thoughts didn't stay on the subject long when remembered why he came inside. "Now Zero hear 2D sing and Nudell play!" He cheered as he scooped up Noodle in his arms and wrapped his tail around 2D's wrist, whisking the two out the room. Murdoc returned back near the sliding door and watched some zombies rise in the distance. He would give it about 15 to 30 minutes for those painkillers to kick in.

"Welcome to my humble abode." 2D announced and opened his bedroom door to the children. The large dented door creaked when it opened and Zero passed underneath 2D's long legs. "Yeah, I know. My room is pretty cool. Don't get hurt by the culture shock."

Noodle sighed in disgust and sat down on the end of 2D's bed with her acoustic guitar in her lap. She disliked how egotistical he could get in the matter of seconds. Whether it be in front of fans or women, he wanted everyone to see him as the cool guy but actually he was a bit of a loser. Would Noodle ever tell him that? Nah. She kind of wanted to see how he would react when he crashed and burned.

Zero hopped up on the bed next to Noodle, his whole vibrated with anticipation. Music, it had been such a long time since he heard music. He loved listening to Momma play the harp, but that seemed like a distance memory. Zero could barely contain himself, it felt like he was going to explode from his skin. He watched 2D pass by them to a large wall full of a colorful assortment of keyboards. 2D stared at his collection of handmade keyboards for some time before his settled for one on the lower level. He sat down on the floor in front of the children with a smile on his face.

"Oh yeah," Zero jumped back and hid behind Noodle when 2D broke the silence and got to his feet again. Sudden movements scared Zero. 2D went over to a chair tucked away in the corner of the room, covered in crumpled up dirty laundry that should have been done days ago. On top of the pile was the brown sack the singer found in Zero's crate hours before, 2D grabbed the bag and faced the kids. "Here's your bag, Zero. I found it in the box you came in."

Zero saw the bag before the man turned around. He shifted his weight on the balls of his feet as he balanced on the edge of the bed. The itch grew worse under Zero's skin but his focus remained on his bag. Special items were inside it, precious things. The bag belonged to him and no one else, the tall man would certainly destroy his gifts.

"Bad touch!" Zero leapt forward at 2D and he seemed to explode from his own skin. Out from the young boy's body came Murdoc and he slammed himself into 2D's chest, knocking the wind out of him. Dirty shirts and tubes socks flew every which way as they landed on the clothes pile. 2D used the bag to shield his face from the usual onslaught of beating while MurdocZero tried to pull the bag out his hands.

"Gimme bag now!" Twochee will break gifts!" The fake, dress clad Murdoc said, tugging on the bag's handle and batting at 2D's head.

"I'm sorry I used your bass to unclog the toilet, Murdoc!" 2D pled as he held onto the bag tight. This was his defense mechanism, to just admit to anything he did wrong in the past week though it made the beatings worse.

"Zero!" Noodle called out, her voice was stern like an owner to their dog. "Get off Twochi!"

MurdocZero tore his bag out of 2D's gangly fingers and rolled off the man's chest, returning back to the Japanese girl's side. 2D kind of just laid there in either shock of confusion, perhaps a mixture of both, for a few seconds then got back on his feet. It couldn't have been the real Murdoc since the real Murdoc didn't have digitigrade legs, not the fact that he was wearing Zero's dress. 2D smoothed the wrinkles out his shirt and approached the doppelganger with caution. It had to be fake, like a hologram; no one could change into other people. No real person, that is. He poked the man in the cheek only to for the doppelganger to snap at him with razor sharp teeth.

"Murdoc? Zero?" said 2D while MurdocZero dumped the contents of his bag on the bed. Books, papers, and various other knick-knacks scattered across the bedspread, including the old harp 2D saw before.

"Gifts fine now." MurdocZero said to himself then reverted back to his former self. Zero felt 2D behind him and turned to him, greeting him with a big smile. He took 2D by the hand and sat him down on the bed. "Music later, Zero show Twochee and Nudell gifts!"

Much to 2D's surprise, Zero had some knowledge and great fascination with reading as he described the information he learned to the two. Nothing of what Zero said sounded like it came from a children's books and he had a hard time pronouncing some words. The green hardcover books on the bed and the ones Zero was talking about were all encyclopedias. There was a book on plants, one on animals, and another on the human anatomy. A medical facility lacked books made especially for children, or anything a kid could understand without their mind overloading. But 2D saw it in Zero's white eyes, it was the same spark in Russel's eyes when he started talking about music. Both loved sharing what they knew.

"Zero?" Said 2D. "You sure you don't know Russ?"

Zero didn't response, his eyelids grew heavy and his body swayed back and forth. He looked down at his hands and bent his fingers, they felt numb and fake. His whole body felt numb and it became more and more difficult to take in air without breathing slowly. None of this appeared real to him anymore.

"Zero?" Noodle had gotten concerned for her new friend at his sudden change in behavior. She knew he heard her when his tail twitched under his dress. "Zero?" She called his name again.

He saw her mouth move but what he heard were distant whispering. The unrecognizable murmurs drowned out his thoughts and scratched at the inside of his skull, it made his skin crawl. He dealt with these voices before many times when the White Coats threw him back in his containment after testing, and they still scared him now. Zero began to shuffle through his things in a daze, shoving stuff into 2D and Noodle's laps. Where was it? It kept him safe from the bad things but it wasn't here. Where did he leave it? Zero shot up but dizziness got the better of him and he fell backwards. Noodle grabbed his tail but it wasn't enough to stop his descend. The back of his head slammed against the edge of a bedside table, the contents on the table fell all over the floor and so did Zero.

"Russ, man. I don't like how that kid feels." Said Del as he hung on his friend's shoulder in the form of a demon imp that ran free around the mansion. The form was easier to maintain while outside Russel and it kept Death off his hide for now. "I don't like this kid one bit."

"I know, Del. You wouldn't stop screaming it in my damn head." Russel replied without removing his eyes off the papers in his hands. "I don't care of him either but we can't judge him because he doesn't 'feel' or act right. You, of all people, should know that ain't right."

"Yeah." The electric blue ghost imp grumbled and he sulked underneath the coffee table in the room.

Russel had been reading for the past hour and a half, trying to decode these papers the doctor included with the letter addressed to him. He could barely make heads or tails with these documents. Most, if not all, the entries had information blacked out or data redacted. For safety reasons, he assumed. This 'Facility' never wanted their records to land in the wrong hands. What Russel managed to dig up from the tiny amount of info available to him was that the Facility captured and or made anomalies, and Zero was one of these anomalies. But why did Dr. McDonald claimed that the Facility 'studied his case'? He had a case with these mad scientists? It was obvious Zero had some kind of connection with him but was he his son?

The distressed banging on his door made Russel jump, scattering the papers all over the floor. Not even a second passed and 2D almost kicked his door off the hinges followed by Noodle, who was right behind him. 2D had Zero in one arm while he held a bloodied towel to the boy's head with his free hand.

"Murdoc drugged Zero with my pills in soda pop and Zero turned into Murdoc and then he got dizzy and fell and hit his head on my nightstand and he won't stop bleeding!" 2D cried. Noodle was just as frantic as 2D was, waving her hands about as she spoke in Japanese.

Russel got up from the couch and went over to the lanky man, he was shaking from head to toe. He probably thought Zero's injuries were his fault. He took Zero off 2D's hands and said, " 'D, go get me your ice pack." Then turned to Noodle. "Noodle, go get me a clean towel." They exited the room in a haste, leaving him alone with Zero. He couldn't think with 2D and Noodle in a panic like that.

Zero was too drugged to bite or flail around, he clung to Russel's shirt like a koala. He was much lighter than he appeared. Russel lifted the towel from Zero's head, parted his hair, and looked at the boy's wound. The large gash on the back of his skull was tender and but not bleeding, ice would bring down the swell. He sat Zero down on the couch and pulled the dress off from over his head. Russel had to make sure Zero was steady sitting up before he left to find him some makeshift pajamas.

Del kept his eyes fixated on Zero from under the wooden coffee table. He watched the boy rock side to side, muttering something to himself under his breath. At times, their sights would meet one another but only for a few seconds before Zero continued staring off in the distance. He couldn't describe how Zero didn't feel right. Zero didn't feel like his own person. Zero felt like Russel, the similarity was uncanny. If Del closed his eyes while they were in the room, he couldn't tell the difference, which made the ghost uneasy.

Russel returned with one of his t-shirts, a black one, and pulled the cotton shirt down over Zero's head. Curious and spur of the moment, Russel parted Zero's lips to reveal his teeth since this would be the only time he wouldn't be at risk to harm. His teeth were yellowed and all unevenly sharpened, as if filed down to appear that way. Zero softly gnawed on Russel's finger, either in defense or he thought his finger was food. Russel removed his finger from Zero's mouth, rested the boy's head on a throw pillow, and draped a blanket over his body. Russel had turned his back to Zero when the young boy spoke up.

"Do you see the angel too, Big Man?" Zero muttered. He couldn't even keep his eyes open as he talked.

"The…angel?" Russel asked, kneeling down by Zero's side.

Zero mustered up the strength to lift his hand and point at Del, despite that his limbs were jelly. "The blue angel under the table. He's watching me."

Russel glanced down at Del, whose form broke out into blue static and he sank away into the floor. He looked back at Zero, "Do you always see these…angels?"

Zero nodded, "Me see lots of angels. Good angels, bad angels; Zero hears and sees them." Then he held his head where his injury was located. "Their voices hurt my head…"

"Russel-san, Noodle's back!" announced Noodle as she came in the room. She carried a towel, the ice pack 2D was supposed to get, and Zero's stuffed cat in her arms. The one eyed cat appeared to come to life, attempting to wiggle out of Noodle's tight hold. It even tried to scratch at Noodle's arms with its felt claws as a means of escape. Noodle sat the toy cat on its two legs and it stood on its own with ease. The cat sprinted pass Russel and jumped into Zero's open arms; he gave the toy a comforting hug.

"Kitty." Zero said while he rubbed his check against the cat's face. Within seconds, the boy succumbed to the painkillers flowing through his veins. 'Kitty' ceased its movement when Zero fell asleep as if sleeping itself.

Russel was at a loss for words and took the ice pack and towel from Noodle's hands. He wrapped the ice pack in the towel and pressed it on the back of Zero's head. Zero stirred and flipped over at the sudden change of temperature. He would be out of commission for a bit due to Murdoc's little stunt, it could have killed Zero. Unless that was his plan all along, Russel wouldn't be surprised if it was. That rancid trash bin sacrificed animals when he tapped into his satanic rituals, who else knew he would do.

"Russel-san," Noodle said. "Is Zero be okay?"

"Yeah, baby girl. Zero just gotta get some rest." He answered.

The girl's eyes lit up like fireworks. "That mean Zero stays?"

He couldn't deny that glitter in her eyes, he wasn't a heartless monster. Saying no to her was out of the question. Russel looked at the slumbering boy, maybe he could tame. His own thoughts made him grimace. Taming would make Zero an animal, he may act like an animal but his wasn't an animal. Zero was human and would be treat as such for now on. He will be a civil member of society. Well, the best civil human a boy can be while living in Kong.

Russel gave Noodle a pat on her helmet clad head. "Yeah, Zero's staying."

"Yay!" Noodle cheered and gave him a hug, squishing her face in the man's stomach.

Russel picked Noodle up and hauled her onto his shoulders. Since Zero was staying, he had to consider clearing out a room, buying clothes, and various other items. Money wasn't an issue, it was more of not knowing what Zero actually liked. He had a few days before Zero would fully come to. Plenty of time to figure out what to put in the boy's new room and to force Murdoc to help speed up the process.


	5. Dreamscape

Chapter 5: Dreamscape

"I still don't see why I need to help clean." Murdoc grumbled as he held the corpse of a large rat by the tail and swung it around like a toy. He opened up the window in the hallway and threw the dead rat into the landfill. The rat soared through the air for a moment before a crow swooped in and caught it in its talons. Murdoc watched the bird return to its murder and walked back in the room. "I literally could be doing anything but this right now."

"Like what, cracker?" Russel asked as he heaved a cardboard box out the room then returned. "Drink yourself into a coma with that cheap ass liquor you keep buying?"

"It's called saving money, Lardzilla." Murdoc replied. "Like you would know about saving with all the rare vinyls and tons of food you get."

"Ha ha ha ha. I forgot how to laugh." Russel said salty then picked up another box filled with who knows what. "Now get your ass in gear. Since you drugged Zero, you gotta help me clear out this room while 'D and Noodle are out shopping."

"Great idea." Said Murdoc. "Giving 2D access to a back account isn't going to end horribly wrong."

"I gave him a list and a stern talking to before he left." Russel said, carrying the box outside. "I'm quite sure he can't mess that up." He came back and leaned against the doorframe. "Unless you want to go buy things for Zero's room."

Murdoc snorted in response.

"I thought so. Now get to work. I'm going to check up on Zero." Russel said then went back into the hallway, heading for his room. It was a few doors down from the room that would be Zero's soon. He wanted to keep an eye on Zero for the time being. Him having a room next to Noodle's room, to much of Noodle's displeasure, was unacceptable. For now.

The room was a dark when Russel poked his head inside. The only light in the room came from the magenta lava lamp he had on his bedside table. He didn't know if Zero was afraid of the dark or not. Better safe than sorry, Russel guessed. Russel opened the door wider; the light from the hall filtered into the room and his shadow casted itself over the carpet. Zero's blanket and pillow were thrown on the floor. The coffee appeared as if it was kicked or pushed over. Zero had his knees pulled up to his chest and his back to Russel. He sat the table upright; Zero probably just kicked it over in his sleep. Russel returned the pillow and blanket with Zero. He didn't move the slightest when he covered him up. His breathing was shallow when Russel placed his finger under his nose. Murdoc was going to get more than a broken nose if Zero didn't make it through to the next morning.

That dirty stuffed cat Russel seen here and there over the past few days sat on the arm of the couch next to Zero's head. She stared at him quietly with a single button eye. Russel stared back, unsure as to what to do with her. Did she know what was going on? Was she autonomous? Paranoia began to set in; he had to make sure that she wasn't another possessed toy he dealt with in his blurry childhood.

"Hey…" Russel greeting the cat, nervous of what reaction he would get. Saying hello was the first thing to do when kicking off conversations with moving, possible demonic toys. "Can you understand me? Are you friendly?"

Kitty turned her head to Zero, in thought perhaps, then back to Russel. She raised her arm up to wave at him then she gave him a slow nod. She pointed at the empty spot on the left side of her face where another black button would be. She pointed at itself, then at Russel, then back at her empty eye socket.

Russel looked at the toy in confusion.

"It wants a new eye." Del replied.

"Del, you can understand it?" Russel said in his thoughts. He didn't have to open his mouth to speak with him.

"Hell no." said Del. "I just don't suck at charades like you do."

"I don't suck." Russel retorted. Not even skipping a beat, Russel smacked himself in the face. He fumed. Having your dead friend with minor control of your body was a pain.

"So," Russel regained control and shoved Del inside the tiniest mental box he could make like the little shit he was. "You want me to fix you up?" He asked.

Kitty nodded her head and clapped in what Russel believed to be joy. Kind of difficult to figure out emotions on a cat's unmoving face. The stuffed cat jumped into Russel's hands, who caught her before she fell to the floor.

The silhouette of a person at the doorway made Russel assume it was Murdoc slacking off again. He was getting pissed at him just fooling around when there was work to be done.

"Muds, get back in that room and clean."

"Subject sighted. Moving in for containment." A male voice responded. "Copy that." Another voice replied to the first over a radio. A person stormed into the room, a man geared up in black tactical armor, and pointed the barrel of his assault rifle at Russel's head. He froze in place. First, crazed maniacs were attacking the band, now military officials? Did Murdoc do something bad enough that the military was coming for them? Fear kept Russel in locked in place; he hated guns with a passion ever since Del's death. He took a slow breath in then exhaled, trying to keep himself together. Everything had a logical reasoning to it.

"Get down, subject!" The soldier demanded. "Get down now, or I'll use force!" When the soldier pressed the gun against Russel's head, the barrel phased him and dispelled into a black haze. The soldier lacked any feet, he floated over a cloud of black haze. Fear no longer had its hold on him and Russel stepped towards the soldier, shoving his whole arm into him. His arm passed through the armored man without any effort. The soldier exploded into nothing but black smoke. It circled around him before it diving straight in Zero's head. Zero tossed and turned, kicking the blanket off his body. The soldier was a part of Zero's subconscious. Russel was a little fearful what was locked away in the boy's head. He covered Zero up again and left the room.

As Russel shut the door behind him, Murdoc ran pass with a group of rabid rats hot on his tail. The King of Trash had become the King of Rats in the matter of a day. Russel had to say, it was quite the improvement. Maybe one day he'll be the King of Not Being So Awful.

_"Zero…" _He heard his new name being calling in the distance, through the fog that entwined his mind. The familiar scent of lavender tickled his nose; it was a calming smell. It brought back wonderful memories, a beacon of light in the darkness within his head.

_"Come to Mama, Zero…Zero…" _He shot up from his slumber in both shock and excitement; it made his tail waggle. A field of wild lavender surrounded him instead of the large building Noodle lived inside. The flowery stalks stretched out in all directions, an endless ocean of lavender that went on for miles. Zero's ear wiggled, straining to hear that sweet voice riding on the gusts of wind. He wanted to see Mama. It's been so long since he had seen or hugged her. Shame that he forgotten what her face looked like.

_"Zero…" _Zero heard his Mama calling for him again. He bolted forward into a sprint through the flowers. The flowers parted as Zero ran; the flowing dress behind him fluttered. The field came to a sudden stop at a clearing which sloped up into a rolling hill. Zero pushed pass the lavender as he stared up at the blossom tree which its roots bore into the hill. He even saw several red apples dangling from the wiry branches. His fingers gripped the grass tight as he scurried up the hill; he was almost there.

At the tree's base sat a large, rosy skinned woman. Her full lips upturned into a smile as she set her bright blue eyes on Zero. Her wavy orange hair danced like a burning wild fire in the wind. It rested on her wide shoulder and framed her chubby face. "There's my baby boy." She said and sat her harp up against the tree. She stood up and held her arms open to him. "Come to Mama, sweetie."

Zero's eyes erupted in a waterfall of tears and he ran for the woman, jumping right in her arms. He rubbed his cheeks all over her face. He wanted to smother himself in her sweet scent once again. "Mama…Mama..." Zero chanted, now resting his head on her chest. She rocked him back and forth even though he was a bit big to be treated like a baby. The motion was soothing and Zero could feel his eyelids get heavy.

"I love you." Zero muttered out before sleep took him as its victim again.

Zero's cracked open, still heavy from the painkillers and stung from dryness. His pillow and the side of his face was covered in a thin coating of his own saliva. He rubbed his eyes and wiped his face off, shoving the pillow onto the floor. His body felt like lead with each movement he attempted to make. Zero tried to get up but his body only flopped halfway off the couch then the rest of his body slid on to the floor. He heaved himself to his feet; they wobbled underneath him. His stomach growled since the only food he had were a few bites of noodles several days ago. Zero didn't need to eat on a regular but food made him feel warm on the inside. He longed to feel that sensation again. Perhaps Noodle could make him more food. She knew how to make the metal box create fire.

Zero opened the door to the room in caution, peeking through the small crack between the wall and the door. The hallway was lit and quiet. The large windows across the way were pitch black. The only lighting being the faint glow of the moon behind grey clouds. The coast was clear and Zero slipped out from safety of the room. He kept his body close to the wall in some attempt to remain unseen if anyone came by. Zero was fine when Noodle was by his side.

The sound of nails scratching on a wall or door nearby got Zero's attention. His tail perked up; maybe it was Noodle? He ran down the hall and made two sharp rights into the next hallway. "Nudell?" Zero said, curious, as he turned the corner. His tail dropped at the real source of the scratching.

Zombies, four of them stood outside of Noodle's bedroom. Their rotting fingers clawed at the closed door, growling and hissing in frustration as they lack the smarts to know how to turn a door knob. Zero steadied his breathing. He dealt with many of these creatures in the past, though he didn't expect them to be here also. Zero stepped back, his tail got wrapped around his legs, and he fell to the floor with a hard thud. Fright made him shake and he turned back to look at the zombies. They hadn't moved an inch from their spot.

He relaxed and got back up but a short, black, red eyed demon blocked his path. It wore a giant, mischievous grin on its face. Zero grew tense and he crept up to the creature. He knew the demon would cause some kind of trouble for him. It screamed before Zero could catch it and it fled right into a wall, disappearing from sight. The zombies turned their heads towards the sound. Their yellow, glowing eyes lacked any emotion. They approached Zero and bellowed a loud screech straight from the pits of Hell. The undead charged at Zero like hungry animals.

A zombie grabbed Zero by the shoulders. He was too scared to retaliate. It opened its mouth wide and chomped down on the side of his neck. The pain sent a jolt through his body like the zapping poles the White Coats used on him. Zero ripped the zombie off him and pushed it into the others. They fell over as if they were dominos. He wasn't ready to die, not today. And certainly not in the hands of some brainless undead monsters. As they scrambled to get up, Zero pounced, and knocked them over again. He pinned the zombie that bit him to the floor while the others dog piled him. The remnants of the painkillers eased some of the pain but their biting and scratching was still hurt. Nothing Zero hadn't felt before though.

Voices droned in Zero's head like a war horn. Or an order repeated over and over, perhaps. They were incoherent and loud. Somehow, he understood what they were saying. This was life or death, survival of the fittest. If he wanted to live, he had to fight. Even if he didn't like or want to. Adrenaline pumped through his system, the voices now drowned out his own thoughts. His desire to survive transformed to need to tear his enemies limb from limb. It was a craving deep within his subconscious even he nor the White Coats could curb. The craving altered Zero's form to something heavier, bulkier. A form that could take a beating.

He crushed the zombie's skull in his new black, clawed hand. Rotten brain mush and old blood oozed out from in between his fingers. It was surprisingly warm for the undead. A zombie sunk its teeth into his wide shoulder, barely breaking the skin under his shirt. Zero tore it off him by the leg and swung it about like a bat, hitting the other two. With the remaining zombies sprawled out on the floor in confusion, Zero threw the creature in his hand against the floor and crushed its head under his foot. The contents of its skull splattered across the floor like a mushed grape. He mauled the rest of the undead apart with his teeth and claws. They were no match for him; nobody was.

Their blood painted Zero's face and hands. He was the victor in this battle; alive for another day. He stomped his feet, pounded his fists on his chest, and roared. It echoed throughout the Kong halls.

Friday was Movie Night and it was Murdoc's turn to pick the movie. Good thing since everyone except 2D had gotten bored of zombie flicks. Murdoc chose _Jaws_ this time around. Nothing like seeing dumb beach goers getting eaten by a very fake looking Great White Shark. Noodle sat on the couch in between Murdoc and 2D with Kitty and a large bowl of popcorn in her lap. Kitty kept trying to eat popcorn but the food hit her non existing mouth and fell back into the bowl. The inability to eat didn't stop the stuffed cat from wanting to feel a little human.

Russel settled himself in the recliner next to the couch. He would have dozed off by now if his mind wasn't racing. He couldn't pay attention to the movie either. Paranoia was setting in his head. His case, his case_. _What the hell did she mean by his case? Did she mean his various cases of possession? His possession did grab the attention of news outlets and priests but scientists? It couldn't be true. Russel's parents wouldn't allow their son to be a lab rat. They loved him too much for that to happen.

_"You're thinking about it too?"_ Del's deep static voice rumbled like thunder in his head. Russel didn't respond. He had no need to, Del felt his answer. _"You just need to chill. All of this is stressing you out, man." _The others within his head agreed with Del; their voices just mere faint, jumbled murmurs. It had been a while since he heard them talk. They weren't as strong or presentable as Del was but they were still there.

But they were right, those papers were stressing him out. He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair. All he needed to do was relax and ask questions later. A bellow ripped through Russel's eardrums and he sat up quick, almost falling out of the chair. He couldn't been the only one to hear it.

"Zero!" Noodle exclaimed and threw the popcorn bowl and Kitty off of her. The rest of the popcorn scattered all over the floor. She stomped on Murdoc's groin when she climbed over him and jumped off the arm of the couch.

"Why me?" Murdoc squeaked out as he curled his body into the fetal position. "Is it mutilate my dick week or something?"

Russel got up and ran after the girl. He didn't want her getting anywhere near Zero if he was the one who made that noise.

"Where you guys going?" 2D called out while he kept his eyes on the television. "The best part is coming up." Right as he spoke, the shark dragged a woman in a bikini under the water and tore her apart. "Nice." He chuckled and fumbled around for the popcorn bowl. His eyes finally broke from the telly when his search turned up with nothing. 2D frowned at all the popcorn on the carpet. What a waste of good popcorn, really. "Wait for me!" 2D said and he stepped over the back of couch to follow the others. But not before he came back and shoveled a handful of carpet lint covered popcorn in his mouth.

Seeing a copy of yourself sitting in the middle of a warzone of zombie parts with a face covered in nasty blood would be a startling sight for anyone. And Russel completely and utterly mortified. Copying Murdoc and 2D was fine. It was a good laugh since Zero's modifications weren't much different from real thing. Zero made Russel look like a monster.

His arms and legs were black and clawed like a demon's limbs. Over his original white eyes were another pair of eyes, more narrow and glowing. The canines in his mouth pointed outwards from his face like a warthog's tusks with a matching hog-like nose. Zero's hulking form was about three times the size Russel was. The behemoth that was RusselZero faced Noodle and his lips parted in a smile. Zero rose to his feet and stomped his feet in a cheerful manner. His stomping cause the whole floor to shake. "Nudell! Me a winner!" He said.

Noodle walked towards Zero only to have Russel pull her back closer to him by her jacket. All Russel could do was just stare at Zero. He wasn't a monster; he kept repeating it himself. It wasn't his fault all those years ago. It wasn't his fault. Anxiety began to creep up on him like an icy stabbing sensation on his arms and legs. Del couldn't save him from the fears that plagued his mind.

Noodle wiggled her jacket off and slipped out of Russel's death grip. She was tired of the boys 'attempting' to protect her because she was small. She didn't need protection. She could protect herself if she needed to. Noodle approached Zero. She was getting used to seeing Zero as another person. He was kind of like a chameleon, a strange and friendly chameleon. A friendly chameleon who could rip zombies in half. Now she could see why the older men wanted to protect her. But Zero wasn't like the demons that lived here. She couldn't describe the energy that Zero emitted. It was too complicated for words. Murdoc, 2D, and Russel wouldn't understand if she tried.

Zero reverted back to his normal self and held Noodle's hand. "Me hungry. Can Zero have nudells?" He asked her.

"Did Zero kill these zombies by himself?" Russel collected himself and turned to see 2D behind him. How long had he been standing there? He looked at Russel and asked, "Do you think he got bitten, Russ?"

Murdoc approached them and answered, "Well it looks like we have to put it down then. Just like Old Yeller." He happened to be holding a pistol in his hand.

2D whimpered, "Not Old Yeller…"

"Man, Muds. Where the hell did you get a damn gun?" said Russel.

"I always have a trusty pistol nearby in case something like this happens." Murdoc said, waving the gun around. "You know, for the usual shooting zombies and scaring off those pansy holy rollers. With their leaflets and iron pressed clothes. Thinking they're better than me."

"Put that thing away. You ain't shooting anyone." Russel said and shoved the gun towards Murdoc's chest. But would he stop Murdoc if he had the barrel of his gun pointed at Zero? Would he care if the boy died? Only morals and morbid curiosity gave him a reason to care about Zero. He wanted to know what the 'Facility' was all about. And the doctor's letter? How could he trust a complete stranger's word and a dead stranger, at that?

"You always have to ruin my fun, you rollie pollie." Murdoc grumbled as he stuffed the gun in the waistband of his jeans. "I can't sacrifice animals for rituals. I can't use black magic. You're a fucking tyrant."

"I don't think you're using that word right, Murdoc." 2D commented.

"Oh shut up, you human speed bump."


	6. Normality

Chapter 6: Normality

Noodle squeezed out the excess water from the washcloth and started wiping the drying blood from Zero's face and hands. She dug around under the kitchen sink and got a first aid kit. Zero, curious, watched her open the metal box and retrieved a bottle of clear liquid from it. She poured a small amount of the liquid on the end of a cotton swab and dabbed it against his neck wound. Thankfully, the bite only scratched the surface of his skin. The sudden stinging sensation and the iciness of the liquid made Zero slap her hand away. He didn't like it at all and the smell burned his nose.

"No, not bad," Noodle attempted to explain in her broken English. "Get clean so no pain later." She learned basic first aid from watching Russel clean 2D's various injuries, whether it be from beatings or general clumsiness. He told her that he didn't want 2D's injuries getting infected and Noodle didn't want Zero's wound getting infected either. No one else would care for Zero if she didn't. And besides, Zero was her friend.

Zero frowned at her and he tilted his side to the side, showing her his neck. He trusted Noodle, even if he had to deal with a little pain. With some gauze and medical tape, Zero's bite mark was patched up. Zero stretched his neck a little, trying to get use to the tape on his skin, then he bumped his forehead against Noodle's helmet clad head. It made a soft thump when their head collided. A chirping or purring noise came from Zero's throat as he snuggled his head against Noodle. She smiled, shoved Zero away playfully, and returned the first aid kid to its rightful place. Noodle took Zero's hand and lead him out in the hallway. Zero followed her with eagerness.

"Noodle has surprise for Zero," said Noodle. "Make Zero happy."

"Surprise?" Zero repeated.

"Hai," Noodle replied then put Zero's hands over his eyes. "Close eyes. No peek."

Zero obeyed and Noodle pushed him along for a short distance before she stopped him again. He heard the hinges of a door creak and squeak as it opened. Noodle pushed Zero a few more feet then she pulled his hands from his face. "Tah-dah!" Noodle cheered, throwing her arms in the airs and shaking her hands.

"Nudell," Zero said, astonished, and stepped into the center of the room. The room was similar in size to Noodle's room but lacked decorations. What the room did have was a king-sized bed on the left side of the room. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it while he dug his toes into the carpet. He looked up; there were white lights on strings hanging from the ceiling and the walls. Not too little light and not too much light; Zero liked it. There was a larger bookcase across the room from him. It was a simple brown bookcase that had his three books and Mama's harp on the middle shelf. "Is this for me?" asked Zero.

"Uh-huh," Noodle said as she nodded her head.

Zero smiled and laid face first into the bed. "Mine," He whispered to himself and stretched his body out over the covers. He took a deep inhale of the blankets then exhaled, it smelled clean. It wasn't like his old room at the Facility. He didn't have to sleep on the cold floor anymore. He had his own soft and comfy bed to sleep on now. Zero closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Thank you, Nudell," He said. This was what freedom felt like. The utter calmness of knowing he was safe and being treated like he was normal. _Normal;_ he repeated the word in his head and sat up in an upright position. He wasn't normal like Noodle was. Nowhere close, as a matter of fact. But he could learn to be normal somehow. Mama would be proud to see him as a normal child when she came to get him. Zero couldn't wait to see her face again.

"Are you sure sewing into you isn't going to hurt?" Russel asked the stuffed cat in his left hand and a threaded needle in the right. Before the sewing process, Russel wiped the dirt off Kitty with a damp cloth. Her grey fur was actually a creamy white underneath all the filth. Kitty nodded and Russel began to sew the black button on the cat's face. He took his time repairing Kitty. There was no reason not to do a good job. With the snip of a pair of scissors, Russel cut the extra thread and tied it off.

"There you are, little sista," Russel said and stood the cat on her two legs. "I gave you a new eye and cleaned you up."

Kitty looked down at herself then nodded. It was obvious she liked her little makeover. She gave Russel a thumbs-up with her felt claw and began to undo the thread that ran down the center of her torso. Russel tried to stop Kitty from dismantling herself but she swatted his hand away. She dug around in her belly (Would the stuffing be considered as her organs?) and pulled out a flash drive from her belly. Kitty dropped the drive in Russel's hand then tied her stomach close.

"You're giving me this? What's on it?" Russel asked, staring at the flash drive. When he looked away to ask the toy another question, he saw Kitty jump off his bed and run across the room. Zero opened Russel's door and Kitty fled out the room, right between the boy's legs. He watched her run down the corridor and disappear out of sight. She had a mind of her own, that cat.

"Hey Zero," Russel greeted the boy and stood up. "You need something?"

Zero turned his focus towards the large man and entered the room. He stood in front of Russel and stared up at him. His body was stiff and he kept his arms at his sides with his fists balled up. Russel raised an eyebrow at Zero. The boy had been standing there staring in silence for a little longer than he liked. Russel opened his mouth to speak but Zero immediately cut him off.

"Zero wants to be normal!"

"Normal is a very vague word," Russel said. "Explain to me what you want."

Zero twisted his tail in his hands. "Zero wants to be normal," He repeated. "Talk good, be good. Be a normal, good boy like Noodle."

"That's going to be impossible," Del gave a snarky comment in Russel's head. "Ain't one of us normal in this place."

"Shut up!" Zero hissed. "Me be normal, stupid voice! You wrong!"

Russel and Del recoiled in unison but were not surprised. The papers did described that Zero could see and hear spirits. But the own spirit locked away in Russel's head?

"Zero, can you hear Del inside my head?" Russel asked.

"All those voices telling Zero he can't do something," Zero responded in a dark tone, ignoring the man's question. "White coats, angels, no matter. Zero will be strong and normal. Make Mama happy. Be a good boy."

Del materialized out of Russel's head and stood in front of Zero in his demon disguise. "Listen Zero," Del said to the child. His glowing white eyes flickered like an old light bulb. "Let's make a little bet."

"Bet?" Zero parroted.

Russel frowned, "Del, what are you planning?"

The ghost faced his friend and said, "Chill out, Russ. I got this." Del turned back to Zero. "Yeah, a bet. It's like a deal of some sorts. If you can be 'normal' in a month, I'll take back everything I said about you."

"Easy," Zero said with confidence.

"But," He interjected, "If you can't do that or something happens in a month's time, you have to leave."

"Del, have you been hanging out with Murdoc too much?" Russel said. "Don't you think you're being too harsh?" Del always had a tendency to go all-or-nothing when it came to bets. That trait even followed him after death. Maybe he could make another bet to worm his way into staying in the mortal plane.

"He can do it if he wants to prove me wrong. Which I know he wants to," Del said then stretched out his hand to Zero. "How about it, little man? Do we have a deal?"

Zero nodded and took Del's hand, shaking it.

Del gave Zero a toothy grin before he zipped right back inside Russel's head. He understood what Del was planning now. It was exactly the same as Russel wanting to civilize Zero, but with a twist to it. Did he really mean it if Zero failed, he had to go? Probably not, Del was all talk most of the time. Zero was certainly eager to make Del eat his words. It wasn't how Russel would approach it but whatever got the job down. Then Russel remembered the tiny flash drive in his hand. Whatever the storage device held piqued the large man's interest.

"Zero, I'll start teaching you some things tomorrow," Russel said and glanced over at his desktop computer. "I've got something important to do."

"Okay," The boy said and exited the room. Russel was somewhat thankful Zero was strangely obedient. It removed the wall of him being a nosy child and not listening.

Russel closed the door behind Zero and locked it. He didn't want anyone else busting into his room without knocking again. His chair creaked underneath his weight as he sat down in front of the computer monitor. One hallow click of the power button and the screen came to life. The light of his solid lime green desktop illuminated his face and eyes.

"Your desktop is the most boring shit I've ever seen," Del taunted.

"Says the ghost who never used or owned a computer," Russel retorted.

"Nigga, you don't know what I do when you're sleeping," Del replied in a snooty tone.

Russel rolled his eyes and plugged the flash drive into the USB port on the tower. A white window opened up on the desktop seconds after he put it in the computer. Files appeared in the window; documents by the main file name of _RH: Subject 23 Alpha_. Russel's heart dropped to his stomach. Those were his initials but it couldn't be about him, right? He had a bad feeling about this, a very bad feeling. He took the mouse in hand and clicked on the first document slowly. A moment passed before the file actually opened and it loaded the contents on the screen. It was a diary entry; all of the documents were diary entries signed by the same person: Steven Kane. Russel remembered that name. It was the name of the twisted man who ordered the creation of Zero. The first entry dated back to the year 1982. Russel read the first entry in silence.

_Today was another uneventful day until I was informed by my agents of some excellent news! There is a boy in Brooklyn who appeared to have been possessed and apparently mauled his classmates. They gathered from witnesses that the boy grew several times his size and had unnatural strength. What luck. A child with supernatural abilities that we didn't have to modify ourselves. I will schedule a trip to Brooklyn as so as possible. I have to see this child with my own eyes. But I must be discreet. Can't have the locals asking questions or poking their noses in my business._

Russel's worst fear had come true. Kane was talking about him. The documents were all about him. He had to press on even if the thought made him sick to his stomach.

_I went to Brooklyn today. I never like that city. You can just smell the idiocy in the smog laced air. It wasn't difficult finding the child's home, since news vans don't usually appear in these parts of the city. When I knocked on the door, the child's mother answered. I informed her that I was a doctor there to help her son and she seemed to take my vague explanation. She let me inside her home and led me to her son's room. The child was stuck in bed, trapped in a deep coma. The child's father sat by his son's bed as he chanted prayers under his breath. Prayers would never save their child. I can't describe the energy I felt flow from the boy's small body. It sent cold shivers down my spine; the power was almost arousing. I must have this child. The parents told me that some kind of demon possessed their son. Interesting. If one demon could emit this kind of energy from the boy, what would 10 demons do? Or 100? I made a risky move. I asked the parents if I could study their child. They immediately shot down my request, claiming that God would save their boy. Simpletons. They would never understand my work anyway. Their idiocy made them too proud and narrow minded. I will have that child, one way or another._

The entry somewhat put Russel at ease. His parents wouldn't let this mad man near him. He felt guilty that he ever doubted them. And if he didn't get creepy vibes from Kane before, Russel had those vibes now. He didn't want to read anymore of the loon's crazy scribbling so he skipped to the last entry. Russel needed to know how the 'doctor's' journal entries ended.

He skimmed over the insane ramblings, most of it was a jumble of text and numbers. The only legible lines out the whole document were: _Been watching the boy for a while now. Waiting. If I can't have the boy, I can make a duplicate. Better, stronger, smarter. I will remake him if it takes me hundreds of tries. _

A cold sweat broke out all over his body. He couldn't quite believe it but there it was, right in front of him in text on his computer screen. Russel didn't want to believe it. Zero wasn't his son, Zero was him. Technically speaking, that is, but Russel no less. That man, Steven Kane; his name no longer brought curiosity but searing rage to him. To that man, he was Subject 23-Alpha, just another test subject in this man's possibly long list of lab rats. Russel ran a shaky hand over his scalp, still trying to wrap his head around all the new information. Was cloning even achievable? It didn't seem real at all. But Zero's existence made all of it real.

"I knew something wasn't right about Zero," Del mumbled to himself.

Russel's body acted on autopilot now while his mind was preoccupied. Kane couldn't know about his whereabouts, could he? Of course he would, Gorillaz was a famous band and toured around the world. But Kane lost interest in him and made Zero. Russel no longer mattered, right? Wouldn't that Facility go looking for Zero? Or perhaps they made another clone? The thought of those sick doctors making another one of him made him nauseous again. He took the flash drive out his computer and smashed the device into tiny pieces with a hammer. The remains were disposed of in the landfill. No one could ever find those diary entries. Now he had to do something about Zero.

"Keep your head up," Russel ordered as he lifted Zero's chin up with his index finger. "And straighten up your back." He watched Zero tremble as he tried to maintain perfect posture. Many would say he was being tough on the boy but discipline and hard work were the only ways to civilize him. That's how Russel learned in his youth and he was teaching Zero in the same way he was taught. Zero was eager to learn. He woke Russel up early that morning to start to what he referred to as 'his training'.

"Relax your shoulders," said Russel and he pushed Zero's shoulders down. "You're too tense."

Russel could tell Zero had a hard time maintaining good posture. He was so used to slouching and walking on his hands and feet but Russel knew Zero could do it. Zero's legs shook due to the long period of time standing. He couldn't take the pain, the burning, much longer and his legs buckled underneath him. Zero fell to the floor; he failed 'his training'.

Zero scrambled a good distance away from Russel to the other side of the room. He pulled his knees close to his chest, making himself small. "Don't hurt me," He pled. "Zero sorry. Zero try again. Me a good boy…" Zero shut his eyes and awaited his punishment.

Russel went over to Zero and knelt down in front of the boy. "Look Zero," He said and placed his hand on Zero's knee. Zero flinched at the older man's touch. He retracted his hand and sat on the floor beside Zero, resting his head on the wall. He sighed; he was being mean to the boy. None of this was Zero's fault. Zero was merely an innocent product of a mad man's twisted mind. "Look Zero," Russel repeated. "I don't know what hell you went through in that place." He looked at Zero, who kept his head down. "But I want you to know that no one here will hurt you. You're safe from those mad men."

Zero didn't react or lift his head; it made Russel frown and sigh. "I'm sorry." He said. Russel knew his apology wouldn't make years of abuse and torture just magically disappear into thin air. Just as he was getting up, something tethered him from going any further. He looked down. Zero had his tail wrapped gently around Russel's wrist. Russel's face softened and he sat back down.

"I'm calling this bet off," Russel said.

"Zero just wants to be normal…" The boy muttered.

Russel replied, "I know you do but stressing yourself out about it won't make you 'normal' faster."

"Sorry," Zero said.

Russel put his hand on top of Zero's head and ruffled his hair a bit. The gesture brought a soft giggle from Zero. "Don't be sorry, it's not your fault. Being civil takes practice and you're still a kid." Then a light bulb went off in Russel's mind. Why not take Zero to the playground? It would give a glimpse of the outside world and have some fun at the same time. Noodle would enjoy the break also.

Walking in shoes for the first time was incredibly uncomfortable for Zero. He was use to walking barefoot. He couldn't feel the floor under his feet when they were trapped in shoes. His walking pattern had been reduced to long, awkward strides like a dog wearing booties. Murdoc had the time of his life tossing stuff on the floor and making Zero walk across the room to pick it up. After an hour of wearing shoes, Zero finally got used to them and Murdoc lost his laugh. Until 2D found a paddle ball and kept getting the red rubber ball stuck in his eye socket.

Wearing a full set of clothes on his body felt strange to Zero also. His skin felt trapped too. Was this how normal people felt like when they wear clothes every day?

Russel and Noodle found out that large, mechanical things frightened Zero when the three got in the Geep and started its engine. The roar of the vehicle made Zero jump and flee behind one of the dozens of concrete columns that held up the Carpark's roof. Once again, Noodle had to coax that nothing would hurt him. It took several tries but Zero managed to leave the protection of the column and edged closer to the Geep. Noodle grabbed Zero's hand and heaved him over the side of the vehicle into his seat. He kept close to Noodle as he could in the backseat. She was like his anchor and the Geep didn't have seatbelts for the backseat. Murdoc wasn't thinking about safety when he purchased it.

The metal door from the Carpark to the outside world creaked open and bright sunlight filtered into the dark environment. Zero squinted his eye at the light as the Geep pulled out of the mansion. When his eyes adjusted, he couldn't believe what he was seeing, feeling, and smelling. The sky was bluer than any flower he seen in a book. The rays of sunlight on his skin felt different from light inside, more natural and warm. The fresh air made his nose itch and he sneezed. The vehicle drove down the dirt mountain the mansion stood upon, spiraling down the mound as if it was a screw. Zero held onto the metal bar to keep his balance in his seat. The wind whipped through his long hair; he couldn't hide the wide grin on his face. This was what freedom felt like. No containments or walls, just the endless sky and land. This was where Zero truly belonged. It was such a rush to him.

Russel glanced at Zero in the rear view mirror and smiled at the boy's reaction. He knew that Zero would like being outside. Zero hadn't been outside Kong's perimeter ever since he arrived a week ago. He should have taken him out days earlier.

Even though Essex was a piss hole of a town, the town folks had the brain cells to build a playground for the children who had the misfortune living there. The Geep's brakes squeaked as it came to a complete stop by the small park. Noodle jumped out for the vehicle and Zero followed with caution, touching the ground with his foot before he planted both feet firmly. She took Zero by the hand and dragged him over to the swings.

"Don't go too far, you two!" Russel called after the kids as he closed the driver's side door.

"Sit," Noodle ordered and sat Zero down in the rather worn leather swing seat. Zero gripped the metal chains on each side of him that held the swing up and watched Noodle in curiosity as she disappeared behind him. He held onto the chains tighter in fright when the swing pulled back seemingly by itself. He heard Noodle grunt and the swing swung forward. Zero began to swing his legs in rhythm with the swing, making it go higher. Noodle came back into his line of sight on the swing beside him. She gave him a big grin as they swung back and forth in unison. Zero laughed and returned her smile with one of his own. It was a simple piece of equipment to play on but Zero was having the time of his life.

Russel watched them from a distance and walked over to a wooden park bench. He sat down, planted his elbows on his knees, and let his hands hang off as he leaned forward. His plan was working; Zero was smiling and enjoying himself. Just like any normal kid should.

"Looks like it's going to rain today, isn't it?"

Russel perked up and leaned back in the bench, turning his head towards the male voice. The man next to Russel lowered the newspaper he was reading from his face. Russel hadn't noticed him when he sat down. He was a pale, old man with thin, silver hair that was grown all the way down to the middle of his back. He wore a nicely pressed white suit with a matching wide rim hat and a black tie. His icy blue eyes started at Russel, waiting for a response. Those eyes were strangely inviting.

Not wanting to be rude, Russel answered, "It's been a while since we had rain. But it's been nice having a dry spell while it lasted."

The man chuckled, "Right you, my friend." He folded his newspaper and sat it in his lap. "I'm here on business but I've been to this country many times in my life. Came to this park to relax and clear my mind"

"I see," said Russel.

"Are those your children?" The man asked, nodding his head in the direction of Noodle and Zero.

Russel looked at the kids and shrugged, "Kind of," He said. "More like siblings than offspring."

"Ah," The man said then stood up and tucked the newspaper under his arm. "Well, I better get going. I'll be late if I don't get walking." He tipped his hat to Russel, "Good day to you, sir." And began to walk away with a slight limp. He passed by the Geep, paused by the vehicle for a second, and then went on his way.

_Nice guy_, Russel thought and rested his arms on the back of the bench. His cellphone buzzed and he dug around in his jacket pocket for it. He frowned immediately at the small cellphone. The screen flashed: _New Message from Murdoc_, and Russel silently groaned. Couldn't he relax without that old trash bin brothering him every other minute? Reluctantly, Russel opened the text message and frowned even harder.

_Get your fat ass back to the studio. We got practice. –Murdoc_

Russel deleted the message and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He stood to his feet with a grunt and walked over to the children. They were running around, playing tag. Zero chased after Noodle, looping around the swings and jumping over the bottom of the slides. She noticed Russel and dashed for the big man.

"Russel, save Noodle!" The girl jokingly pled and jumped into his arms. She crawled up onto Russel's shoulders when Zero ran up to them.

"Zero a big lion and Zero will eat you!" Zero roared playfully as he jumped for Noodle's legs.

"No!" Noodle squealed and hid behind Russel's head.

"Sorry to be the bearer of bad news," said Russel. "But we have to get back to the studio."

"Aww!" Noodle and Zero cried out together.

"I know, I know," Russel commented. He picked up Zero (who didn't try to fight him this time), held him under his arm, went over to the Geep. He sat Noodle and Zero in the backseat. "If we don't go, Murdoc will have our heads." He said as he went to the other side of the vehicle and got into the driver's seat. Russel turned the key in the ignition and the Geep came to life once again. He made a tight u-turn and headed back towards the landfill.

The ride back to Kong was quiet and peaceful. Zero observed the surroundings around him as they passed them, storing the images in his head. He didn't want to forget how pretty the outside world was. Light grey clouds rolled in, blocking out the setting sun. Something wet hit the tip of Zero's nose and he flinched, alarmed. He looked up at the grey sky in confusion when another drop hit his lips. Zero ran his tongue across his dry lips. It tasted just like water.

"Rain," Zero whispered to himself while he held out his hands to catch the falling rain. He read about rain in his books but he wasn't sure if it was real. A soft drizzle fell down over them as they waited for the Carpark door to raise. Murdoc was waiting for them, leaning against the side of his Winnebago.

He walked towards the vehicle as it pulled in. "There you two are! I was waiting for you for a half an hour! You know we have a concert this month! I have to keep you slackers in top shape!" Murdoc shouted as he stood in front of the Geep. Russel ran his hands down his face at the man's squabbling then tapped the gas pedal lightly. The Geep lunged forward slightly, its grill and bumper collided with Murdoc's pelvis and thighs. He fell over and Russel snickered, turning the camouflage jeep off. The large man got out, still snickering to himself, when he poked his over the hood to watch Murdoc scramble to get up.

Murdoc glared at Russel as he got to his feet. "I'll get you, Hobbs." He said as he walked backwards, "You better watch yourself. Now, I want in the studio in ten minutes!" then Murdoc called and entered the lift.

Russel felt someone tugging on the sleeve of his jacket. He looked down; it was Zero.

"Can Zero watch the rain?" The boy asked, still holding on to his sleeve.

"Sure," Russel replied. "You don't have to ask."

Zero's eyes widened, overjoyed, and he ran towards the door to the stairwell.

"Where are you going?" Russel yelled at Zero.

Zero bounced on his tail in excitement. "Kitchen!" He yelled back and climbed up the stairs.

He sat on the cold tile floor of the lit kitchen in front of sliding doors. Zero listened to the band play their music in the background while he watched the rain fall. The raindrops hit the doors; it sounded like pebbles against the glass. They trickled down the glass in lightning bolt shaped patterns until they disappeared out of sight at the bottom. Zero pressed his tip of his index finger against the door, tracing the trails the raindrops left behind. He was content with the activity, though its simplicity would bore some children. Well, Zero wasn't like some children. But he would certainly try his best to be like one, no matter what odds were against him. He would make Mama smile again.

Kitty stood behind Zero while he watched the rain. Something in the stuffed cat's button eyes twinkled as she remained standing in her usual silence.


End file.
